x − 5y = 16

–4x − 8y = –8

1 answer

To solve the system of equations:

  1. \( x - 5y = 16 \) (Equation 1)
  2. \( -4x - 8y = -8 \) (Equation 2)

First, we'll simplify Equation 2. We can divide the entire equation by -4:

\[ \frac{-4x}{-4} + \frac{-8y}{-4} = \frac{-8}{-4} \] This simplifies to:

\[ x + 2y = 2 \quad (Equation \ 3) \]

Now we have two equations:

  1. \( x - 5y = 16 \) (Equation 1)
  2. \( x + 2y = 2 \) (Equation 3)

Next, we can solve for \( x \) from Equation 3:

\[ x = 2 - 2y \quad (Equation \ 4) \]

Now, we'll substitute Equation 4 into Equation 1:

\[ (2 - 2y) - 5y = 16 \]

Combine like terms:

\[ 2 - 7y = 16 \]

Now, isolate \( y \):

\[ -7y = 16 - 2 \] \[ -7y = 14 \] \[ y = -2 \]

Now that we have \( y \), we can substitute it back into Equation 4 to find \( x \):

\[ x = 2 - 2(-2) \] \[ x = 2 + 4 \] \[ x = 6 \]

So, the solution to the system of equations is:

\[ x = 6, \quad y = -2 \]

The solution can be written as the ordered pair \((6, -2)\).